Psalms 146:7–9
YHWH does justice for the oppressed and watches over foreigner, orphan and widow
Study it word by word7who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives bread to the hungry. YHWH sets free the prisoners;
8YHWH opens the eyes of the blind; YHWH makes straight those who are bent down; YHWH loves the righteous;
9YHWH keeps the resident aliens; the orphan and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he makes crooked.
In its context
5Happy is he whose help is the El of Jacob, whose hope is in YHWH his Elohim,
6who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who keeps truth forever,
…
10YHWH will reign forever, your Elohim, Zion, from generation to generation. Praise Yah.
Its words in the original
- עֹשֶׂהose· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- מִשְׁפָּטmishpat· justice, judgment
What is right and the decision that establishes it: the judgment of a judge, someone's right, a rule or ordinance, a custom. "Do righteousness and justice" is to treat each one as is due.
- עֲשׁוּקִיםashukim· oppress, defraud
Oppress, defraud: take advantage of someone by taking what is his; crush.
- נֹתֵןnoten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- לֶחֶםlechem· bread, food
Bread; in a wide sense, food.
- רְעֵבִיםreevim· hungry
Hungry, suffering hunger.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- מַתִּירmatir· leap
Jump, leap; also shake off, set free.
- אֲסוּרִיםasurim· bind
Tie, bind; from there, imprison, keep a prisoner; harness (an animal).
- פֹּקֵחַpokeach· open (the eyes)
Open (the eyes or the ears); from there, become aware.
- עִוְרִיםivrim· blind
Blind.
- זֹקֵףzokef· raise up
To raise up, to lift one who is bowed down or fallen.
- כְּפוּפִיםkefufim· bow down
To bow down, to bend; to be bent or brought low under a weight.
- אֹהֵבohev· love
Love, have affection for someone: a parent for a child, a husband for a wife, a friend for a friend, a person for God; also like, desire.
- צַדִּיקִיםtsadikim· righteous
Righteous: one who does what is right before God and before others; just, innocent.
- שֹׁמֵרshomer· keep, guard
Keep: watch over, guard, protect; also keep a command or a covenant, observe.
- גֵּרִיםgerim· resident alien
Foreigner who lives in a land that is not his own, without the rights of those who belong to the place.
- יָתוֹםyatom· fatherless
Orphan; above all one who has lost his father.
- אַלְמָנָהalmana· widow
Widow.
- יְעוֹדֵדyeoded· warn; testify
Warn solemnly; bear witness, testify. Also call as witness.
- דֶרֶךְderech· way
Way, road, journey. Figuratively, the way one lives or acts.
- רְשָׁעִיםreshaim· wicked
Wicked: one who does evil and is guilty before God and before others.
- יְעַוֵּתyeavet· pervert, make crooked
To bend, to pervert; to make what is straight crooked. Said above all of justice and right.